Fleeto by Paddy Cunneen

FleetoCast: 4, 1 female and 3 males

Knife crime is a very real threat to many young people in the UK today and this play by Paddy Cunneen tackles the issues head on. The play had a successful tour of the UK in 2007 and is now being produced in Europe.

"A powerful and beautifully produced short play for Scotland today ... Essentially Cunneen takes the iambic rhythm of Shakespearean verse and applies it to the story of a modern day Glasgow street stabbing, in which a student is killed by a rampaging white gang while trying to defend an Asian friend from their indiscriminate, vengeful rage ... this is like Berkoff with fewer verbal fireworks but with added heart, soul and music, and a challenging Glasgow twist."
Joyce MacMillan, The Scotsman

Available: October 2009

ISBN: 978-1-906220-28-0
Price: £6.99

 

Sunburst Finish by Andrea Gibb and Paddy Cunneen

Sunburst Finish"'Note to self. You are dying.' As a young man's depression turns to despair, suicide seems the only way out - the only way to take control ... In spite of the bleakness of its subject, Sunburst Finish is filled with strong and vibrant voices, a rich mosaic of music, wit, warmth, insight, feeling, and a remarkable lack of sentimentality. The central character's struggle to come to terms with himself and the world around him is one that all young (and not so young) people will relate strongly to."
Hugh Hodgart, Head of Acting at RSAMD, Glasgow

Customer review

"This is a sound play. Although Sunburst Finish started life as a commissioned theatre work the version we have here is the BBC Radio Four version.
Note to authors: I do have doubts that a radio play will work equally well on stage without a lot of rewriting. It's a matter of aural and visual experiences. Under Milk Wood springs to mind as the exception.
Although the play concerns itself with a young man's depression and his struggle to come to terms with the world around him, I feel its real audience is not within this age group. Its target audience should be the post angst individuals who are experiencing real doubts about the society they have become a part of. Sunburst Finish is more than the emotional fumblings of youth coming to terms with a world gone wrong.
Note to publishers: Time is tight during a Higher Drama course. It focuses on theatre work. I can't imagine many teachers including it on their reading list. To perform Sunburst Finish would call for a degree of technical expertise beyond a lot of Higher pupils and perhaps beyond the facilities of a lot of schools.
Having said all of the above I really enjoyed reading the play and regret not hearing the Radio Four broadcast.
Note to self: There really is nothing left to say."
Roy McGregor, Teacher of Drama, St Paul's High School, Glasgow

ISBN: 0-9545206-5-3, 9780954520656
Price: £3.99